H*4941 Resolution, By Miller and Anderson
 A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THOMAS "TOMMY" W. EDWARDS, JR., OF
 GEORGETOWN COUNTY, UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT, AFTER THIRTY-FIVE
 YEARS OF SERVING THE CITIZENS OF SOUTH CAROLINA IN MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY
 GOVERNMENT, AND TO WISH HIM SUCCESS IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.

   04/02/08  House  Introduced and adopted HJ-17

TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THOMAS "TOMMY" W. EDWARDS, JR., OF GEORGETOWN COUNTY, UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT, AFTER THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF SERVING THE CITIZENS OF SOUTH CAROLINA IN MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT, AND TO WISH HIM SUCCESS IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are pleased to acknowledge Thomas "Tommy" W. Edwards, Jr., for thirty-five years of exemplary service to South Carolina's citizens, and to thank him for his invaluable work for this State; and

Whereas, in 1973, Tommy Edwards became director of administration for the City of North Charleston, and after serving as city manager for the City of Newberry, he became the city manager for the City of Florence in 1977; and

Whereas, in 1995, he was appointed administrator for the County of Florence, and in 1998, he accepted the post of administrator for the County of Georgetown; and

Whereas, assessing Georgetown County's need for technological improvements, Tommy Edwards immediately began implementing changes while training his staff in the importance of proactive planning, citizen involvement in government, and streamlining and organizing operations of all departments; and

Whereas, after a meeting with the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce in 1998, he launched the county's first strategic planning initiatives, known as Vision I, that included a group of several hundred citizens, staff, and council members; and

Whereas, Vision I resulted in over thirty-seven million dollars of physical improvements to Georgetown County from 1998 to 2004 with no increase in taxes required for payment for the projects; and

Whereas, using specified strategies, Tommy Edwards has motivated Georgetown County employees and their department directors to propel the county government into the future with coordinated and organized management focused on maintaining efficient yet excellent public service; and

Whereas, he also initiated the Georgetown County Efficiency and Effectiveness, which produced a report in 2004 that included sixty-seven major recommendations from technological improvements to solid-waste operations, which projected savings of over eight hundred fifty thousand dollars in the first year and five million dollars over five years; and

Whereas, upon the success of Vision I, Tommy Edwards launched Vision II in late 2004 with over three hundred citizens, County Council, and staff participating, along with the addition of a number of youth from the county, to plan for the future of Georgetown County through 2036; and

Whereas, in 2004, he encouraged his staff to begin the process to have Georgetown recognized as an All America City, and on the first attempt, Georgetown County was selected as a 2005 National Civic League All America City/County; and

Whereas, beside various community honors, he was awarded the Jaycees Distinguished Service Award and the Florence Chamber's Presidential Award in 1985. In 1995, he received the Order of the Palmetto, the most distinguished civilian award granted by the State, in recognition of his contributions to his community and local government; and

Whereas, Tommy Edwards is a life member of the South Carolina City-County Managers Association, among other professional organizations, and has served as its director, secretary, treasurer, vice president, and president; and

Whereas, members of the South Carolina House of Representatives appreciate the aggressive and insightful service that Tommy Edwards has given to the State and hope that he enjoys a much-deserved retirement. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Thomas "Tommy" W. Edwards, Jr., of Georgetown County, upon the occasion of his retirement, after thirty-five years of serving the citizens of South Carolina in municipal and county government, and wish him success in all his future endeavors.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to Tommy Edwards.